Schema
is also called Prior Knowledge or Background Knowledge. In Chapter 5 of Reading With Meaning, Debbie Miller teaches us about the importance of:
  • Thinking Aloud: Showing Kids How pg. 54
  • The First Schema Lesson pg. 57
  • Text-to-text, text-to-self , tex-to-world connections pg. 58-59, 67
  • Making Meaningful Connections
  • Anchor Charts pg. 60
  • Releasing Responsibility in small groups pg. 61
  • Evidence of understanding: Student examples using formative assessment

Schema Poster:

Into the book lessons plans

[[Into the http://reading.ecb.org/teacher/makingconnections/index.html|Into the book making connections]]

From www.readinglady.com// (Left hand margin under Comprehension)
How To Do A Think Aloud


Connections resources

Text-to-Self lesson plan

Another TTS lesson plan

Text-to-Text lesson plan

Text-to-World lesson plan




Comprehension Strategy: Connections and Schema

Lesson: It Reminds Me Of
  1. Choose a book that you think will remind students of events, people, or places in their own lives. Any book that includes characters about the age of your students and that is realistic fiction versus fantasy is usually a good choice. A good book might be Hazel's Amazing Mother by Rosemary Wells. Children might connect with these ideas in the book: big kids picking on little kids, a favorite toy getting broken, a grown up coming to help the younger child.
  2. Tell the students that good readers think about how a book reminds them of their own lives, and that you are going to show them how to do this. Read the book aloud stopping to talk about the events, people or places that the book reminds you of. Pausing to talk about 3-4 times works best for me. Some people like to read the book through once and then reread with the pausing to think aloud. I guess it depends on your students.
  3. After you have read the book aloud and modeled "It reminds me of" have students sit in a circle and pass the book around. They are to find the page that "Reminds them of" something, show the picture and tell about what that part of the book reminds them of (Deb Smith's structure).
  4. Tell students that they have just done something that all good readers do. They have thought about how a book reminds them of their own lives.
This page written and submitted by Cheri Summ.